Yaaaay, new chapter
Alright, I'm warning you guys now, that I basically copy-pasted the entire chapter
The posts were all quite long, and it didn't really seem to me that there was much I could do...that and the fact that I'm feeling a bit lazy at the moment
It's a strange point at which to end the chapter, I think...but there really wasn't many openings to do that without having a chapter a mile long, so...yeah.
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---Chapter Two---
Many who feel the Force believe that true coincidences are rare.
Was it really a coincidence, then, that Tysyacha and Falya reached
a certain landing pad on Nar Shaddaa? A certain
familiar landing
pad? When the two figures exited, a good-naturedly quarrelsome
Toydarian named Quello flitted out of his living quarters and accosted them.
"Whatsa you two doing on my landing pad?" asked Quello. "The right
to land here belongs to some other men, some space pilots who went
off for a long bender in the Jekk'Jekk Tarr bar." Suddenly, he noticed
one of the two women seemed familiar. "Eh, it's you! Haven't seen you
in a long time, Jedi, or are you a Jedi still?" Quello scratched his head.
Tysyacha smiled wryly. "Exiled." She gently placed her hand on the
hilt of her double-bladed silver lightsaber. "I'm not formally reinstated,
although with the deaths of Masters Zez Kai'Ell, Kavar, and Vrook, I doubt
that I ever will be." Quello flapped a few feet back, his expression shocked.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce you. Please forgive me, Falya. This is Quello,
a fine Toydarian who would surely take two hundred more credits for the
right to land here." She winked at the wrinkled, gray creature and smiled.
"Two hundred? Ehh, better make it a thousand. Since you left here, Jedi,
Nar Shaddaa prices have tripled. Some Sith here is with the Exchange, or
at least that's what the rumors say. Me, I don't believe it. I think G0-T0 has
finally swelled too big for his sphere, if you know what I mean. Heh, heh!"
Falya looked rather worried, and a lump formed in Tysyacha's throat.
One thousand credits? Such a sum was not Bantha fodder. Nevertheless,
Syscha surrendered the credits to Quello's outstretched hand, telling her
companion she had much more. Which was the truth, but knowing the
Smuggler's Moon, it all could be gone in a fortnight. Good thing Syscha
had admitted to herself long ago that she was a terrible pazaak player!
"Please, keep our ship safe. Wait--did you say there were Sith here?"
Tysyacha couldn't believe she had almost missed that tidbit of information.
"Only rumors. You know what they say. Oh--Dark Lord Revan?" Quello
shook his head. "It's probably not him. I'm 95 percent sure. Make that 99."
As Syscha and Falya left the landing pad, the Exile thought,
Maybe so,
but it never hurts to check...
"Doesn't every system have a rumor of Revan's recent appearance?" Falya asked quietly, staying very close to Syscha's side and glancing around nervously. "I mean... it seems recently that he's everywhere, if you know what I mean."
"Hey, girl!" a gruff voice called. A look of pure terror crossed Falya's face and she broke into a run. The man began an immediate pursuit. Falya continued to run, but ended up cornered not far away. The man laughed.
"You know who I am," he said. It was not a question. He knew very well that she knew who he was.
"You're Vulk," she whispered. He nodded.
"And what do I do?" he asked, coming closer. She cringed.
"You hunt me when I run," she muttered. Again, he nodded. Falya prayed that Syscha would catch up soon as Vulk continued.
"Grayston is getting tired of all your running," he said, taking a long whip from his belt. "He's given me permission to do a little more than bind you this time."
He took a step back so he could achieve the full striking force of the whip. Falya cringed, waiting for the blow...
The whip began to whistle as it flew through the air…then stopped.
The girl cracked an eye open, peeking out at her attacker to see that a man dressed in blue robes had caught the backend of the whip, wrapping it several times around his gloved hand. With a mighty heave, her savior pulled back on the whip, overbalancing Vulk. As the giant man stumbled, the man in blue landed a cracking blow to the back of his knees, causing the slaver to fall hard on his back. Not yet finished, the hand holding the whip came around, landing a dazzling glance to Vulk’s temple, rending him nearly unconscious.
"This girl shall not suffer harm at your hands, or at anyone else’s. Return to your master, and inform him so.” the man in blue’s voice was hard, commanding, and intimidating as he addressed the fallen Vulk, “From this moment on, the girl is under my protection and shall not be harmed. Future attempts will be taken most seriously indeed, and I assure you, that should you be the one that attempts it, it shall be the last time we meet. Now, leave. Return to your master and tell him you have failed him." Obediently, Vulk stood, and quickly hobbled away.
Now, the man turned to Falya, where she lay on the ground, looking on in fear and amazement.
"Now, young lady, I suggest you and your companion had best follow me and we shall leave this scene before further trouble descends upon us. Please, if you'll follow me, I'll show you to a place of safety; a place we can talk about the current situation and, hopefully, a way to resolve it."
Hidden in the shadows of the dock, the man watched as the woman and child that departed the freighter dealt with Quello and walked away.
Using every bit of stealth to stay unnoticed to all, he followed them as they left the dock for the shelter of the Refugee District. Crouching in a corner, he watched a man advance on the child, a whip held high. Reluctant to allow them to get hurt, for they did indeed serve a very important purpose, he was about to spring on the apparent slaver when a man garbed in blue grabbed the whip and quickly dispatched him.
The man in the shadows snarled.
Not that schutta again!!!!! Damn him! Why must that... the man used the most insulting profanity that he knew,
continue to disrupt my business?!
Taking deep breaths and quickly mastering his anger, the man was about to break cover and follow the threesome when a Trandoshan went up to Quello and spoke to him.
The man listened intently to the exchange, finding that the Trandoshan had been sent to gather information on the ship and its passengers.
This could be a bit of a problem. the man thought, before slipping away after the others.
Using the tracking skills he had gathered over the years, the man continued to follow the ship's passengers and the blue-robed man, fading out of existence in the shadows of the streets...
- - - - - -
Tysyacha felt a mixture of anger and fear course through her as she
weaved her way through the "fragrant" crowds of Nar Shaddaa. Falya!
How in the galaxy could I have been so foolish, going to this putrid
planet when I should have known there would have been bounty hunters
here?! My next task is definitely NOT to find Lord Revan, but to rescue
the newest crew member of the Ebon Hawk
!
She drew out her lightsaber, keeping it at her side but not activating
the blades yet. Caution was of the utmost here, as was discretion.
Syscha didn't want to cause a panic, especially when one whirling
lightsaber beam caught an innocent Nar Shaddaa dweller in the head!
After a short while, she caught a glimpse of Falya's blazing red hair.
It seemed as if she were in the clutches of a figure in a long blue
overcoat. Well. This wouldn't take very long, with 2 beams at her aid.
"Halt!", she shouted, and then, "Stand back!" to the rest of the
crowd. Gasps and murmurs were heard as Tysyacha whirled her
lightsaber, preparing the silver-white rays for combat. "Sir, that
girl is Falya, the newest crew member on my ship. Release her,
or I shall see to it that this weapon preferred by the Sith gets
its due!" Her cobalt-blue eyes were furious, and she fell into her
traditional Shii-Cho, or Determination, lightsaber form. It had been
the first one that she had learned, and also the most basic.
The crowd watched in stupefaction, some in horror, others in awe.
"It's a Jedi! How on earth could such a one walk here in this place?"
"Hmph. Stupid, arrogant Jedi! The bounty's not active, but my anger is!"
"Is she going to kill us all after she finishes off the cloaked one?"
"Go, lit-up girl! Go, lit-up girl! Yay! Yay!" This from a wide-eyed child.
No one moved, not even Falya's disguised captor. The tension was fierce.
- - - - - -
Lussk yawned as he listened absentmindedly to the slug's orders. Ever since G0-T0's... disappearance, and with the arrival of those new bosses, he was unable to get any decent hunting' jobs. He regretted oh so much taking this sithspit of a job for Vogga.
Oh well, at least it's easy and the pay is decent... the ex-bounty hunter thought to himself.
"So, eh-uh, Vogga, why's this freighter worth examining?"
The Hutt merely grunted, "You ask too much, all you need to do is tell that damned Toydarian what to do. Here, you fool, take this datapad and just hand it over to him. Since you obviously have too much on your mind to remember all this." Vogga spit at the Trandoshan's feet, and Lussk quickly reverted to his old instincts and hissed out curses in the languages of old. Apparently, Kath hounds didn't like to hear Trandoshan speak, as one of Vogga's beasts snapped at Lussk's ankles. With a zap, a whine, and a whimpering Kath hound retreating back into the shadows, Lussk quickly hid his blaster from view. It was the only weapon he managed to obtain after getting his equipment stolen...
Shortly thereafter, the Trandoshan arrived to face Quello at the Docking sector.
"Hey, Quello! Got some orders from the fat fool for you!"
At once the Toydarian flew out of his little shack and snatched the datapad from Lussk. "Eh? Why's Vogga wanna me to examine that wreck?"
Sighing, Lussk quickly took hold of the fat little creature by his neck and scowled, "That's what I'd like to know. Who's the pilot, and why is he or she or whatever so important?"
"I'm sorry, I can-hurk-not tell yo-" He gasped for air as he was released. "But I can show you the ship, might bring old memories, you know?"
Just as Lussk grabbed a small glance of the freighter, he gasped. "The Ebon Hawk? The Jedi that G0-T0 had that bounty on? That schutta?!" He winced as the thought of her opened up a few old wounds, and he quickly scratched at his prosthetic left arm, hoping to gain some relief. "WHERE IS SHE?! Tell me now..." He snarled.
"I don't know! I swe-" the Toydarian jerked about as Lussk nearly crushed his windpipe.
"Bah!" The ex-bounty hunter threw him down.
The eyes of the Jekk'Jekk Tarr would know... wait...no, she's human isn't she? The fumes of the Tarr are poisonous... yes... and most of those in the Tarr stay in the Tarr... the eyes of the Cantina are much better. I'll also need some weapons... and for that I'll need credits, unless of course, I obtained them for "free".
"Tell Vogga that I'm resigning."
Stretching out his legs, he ran swiftly into the Flophouse, suffocated some fool and grabbed a stealth generator off the man's shelf, a swig of Juma Juice from the fridge, and awaited outside of Vogga's little palace for the dancing to end.
- - - - - -
"Oh, not good," Falya muttered, catching sight of Syscha's lightsaber. She knew what that kind of weapon meant to the type of people in the streets of Nar Shaddaa: another potential kill. They had to get out of that area... fast.
Hearing the words of the woman, the figure in blue turned slowly. Well-calloused hands moved the folds of his large over coat aside gently, and for a brief moment the hilt of a single lightsaber was displayed.
The figure gazes intently in to Tysyacha's eyes, a strange look passes across his face, then a gently smile touches his lips.
"Well met Syscha, it has been a long time since I last laid eyes upon you. I'm glad to see that time has not been too unkind to you my friend. Now please, I prey, lower your weapon, you hast has already brought us un-due attention that I wished to avoid, I sense the presence of someone familiar, and it is my fervent hope that it is not who I suspect."
There is a feeling of great determination emanating from the Figure, as he slowly walks forward.
"I see confusion in your eyes Syscha, surely you have not forgotten me. Look closer I beg of you, look with your feelings and see that I am he you once knew. Reach out through your senses and know me again, it is I Tadrick, Tadrick Marlane, we were padawans together, while I studied under master Get Gren D'ai. Remember me, and the time we were together on Dantooine. Remember me." his last words were spoken softly, with genuine sincerity evident in his voice.
At these words the crowd press in slightly, many showing further astonishment, others fear, anger, awe, and more than a few appear somewhat confused and a little stupefied.
Tadrick moves closer to avoid the press of the crowd.
"Please, I mean no harm to you, or Falya. Now, we must leave this place, quickly.”
Angry muttering pass through many of the crowd, a number of them starting towards the trio as they stood there, violent intent evident through their stance and bearing.
- - - - - -
"Halt!" the man said in a hard, commanding voice, stepping from the shadows towards the man and woman who stood in the center of the crowd.
Not today, you won't. Not today. he thought, as if talking to the blue-robed man.
The man and woman turned towards his voice as he stalked forward, pushing his way through the crowds.
There was a blank look on the woman's face, but the man in blue's face hardened into a semi-snarl. As he opened his mouth to speak, the man cut him off.
"No, this is not the place to speak, Tadrick. You and the...Jedi," he said, casting a glance at the woman but the look was lost beneath the hood of his cloak, "are in great danger at the moment. He was about to say more, but stopped, turning to the woman. “I would advise you to duck. Now.”
Half a second after the words left his mouth, a blaster shot was fired loose, missing a confused-looking Tysyacha by mere centimeters.
Turning back to the pair of Jedi, the man said, "Come with me."
As he turned to walk away, he sensed unrest in the man. Turning back to him, he said, "Stay if you want, Tadrick, but," he pulled his cloak back, discreetly flashing the view of a saberstaff hooked at his belt before letting his cloak's black folds envelope it again, "there will be...certain consequences."
- - - - - -
Lussk left the Cantina with little useful information, 100 credits well wasted. He scanned the sector and noticed a crowd that circled around possibly a few people. Squinting, he could see that they were focused on three people, humans, two females and one male.
What's this now?
"Why, hello there Lussk, it's been a while..." the Trandoshan spun around to face Vrussk, his cousin. "Thinking about attacking one of those Jedi? That would be quite foolish, I do believe."
"'Those' Jedi? There's more than one? I assumed that there would be that one damned schutta that came by a while back... You remember." Lussk glanced at his arm and received a nod. "So... who's the other Jedi?" He spat on the floor.
"I do not know, I merely overheard their words, and I believe that only Jedi use the terms 'padawan' nowadays. But, I have nothing against either of them, and from what I can see, attacking the female would be all too foolish. She's brought out her saber. And yes, I do believe it's the same blade."
Wincing, Lussk pushed his cousin away at crept towards the crowd. He heard some thugs and mercs whispering to each other: "Should we try to take them out?" "Yeah, there's plenty of us, against just a few of them." "They'll go down easy if we catch them on surprise." "I'm sure the Exchange will be glad to see their heads."
Lussk chuckled. "What are you lookin' at, scum?" one of the hunters snarled at the Trandoshan.
"You fools believe that YOU can defeat two Jedi? HAH!"
"We'd have more of a chance than you, you slimy piece of bantha fodder." Lussk lashed out and pierced the Rodian hunter's palm with a knife.
"You'll see that the only fodder here is you fools. And maybe the civvies too." He pushed the mercs away and activated his stealth generator. "Go ahead and try to kill them. In fact, I'll give you a hefty sum to just try," his voice rang out from the air, as several thousand credits dropped to the floor.
Courtesy of the Flophouse, he said to himself with a grin.
Lussk then waited in secret, waiting for the Jedi to move. He knew that the mercs would at the very least distract the three, long enough possibly, to get a decent shot at a head. He was the stealthiest Hunter in his time, no one had even thought about someone stalking them. The ex-hunter had mastered stealth movement. He could lash out and immediately return to his stealthed form. He could run.
Looks like this old hunter might just be back in business...
- - - - - -
Silence filled the empty grave that was Malachor V. The Dark Side was still very strong, and could be felt throughout the atmosphere, as if it was some sort of invisible shield covering the planet.
Deep within the core of the graveyard world, in the heart of the ancient Trayus Academy, a man lay broken and battered on the floor. His flesh grayed from years of Dark Side corruption, cracked, scarred, and seared as if he had been wounded or killed multiple times, and slowly pieced back together. He appeared dead, but the Dark Side of the Force is as insidious and unpredictable as it is powerful, and such dark power can not be so easily undone. As the Sith corpse lay face down on the floor, his fingers slowly begin to move, his hand clenching into a fist and grasping tightly at his lightsaber. He opened his eyes, one still normal and brown, while the other was totally white, a great scar surrounding it. The man slowly rose to one knee, still unsure of his surroundings. He stood straight, speaking to himself in a deep, gravelly sounding tone.
"Where am I?...I feel as if I should recognize this place, but yet I do not...”
He fell to one knee and grasped suddenly at his side, where his skin bore the mark of a lightsaber wound, which, to his surprise, heals instantly and painfully beneath his hand.
He slowly rose and began to wander throughout this ancient place, the halls strewn with bodies, all recently deceased.
"What has happened here?” he wondered aloud, before nearly collapsing as his muscles spasmed again.
This pain...it...it consumes me....How do I ...still.....live?
He slowly made his way into what appeared to be a dormitory and up to a wall mirror. Standing before it, he nearly screamed in terror at what he saw.
"It can't be! That isn't even human! It’s...it’s...a walking...rotting...decayed...CORPSE!"
He turned quickly from the mirror which shattered beneath an invisible blow.
That is not me…it can’t be!
, anyway I'm looking foward to the next Chapter, whenever that is.
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